AN iconic picture during the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration was of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim exchanging a double-handshake in a mosque with former chief justice Arifin Zakaria, the man who in 2015 upheld the Court of Appeal’s reversal of a trial judge’s acquittal of Anwar’s so-called second sodomy trial.

In that unanimous five-judge 2015 decision, Arifin infamously added that the five-year jail sentence for sodomy imposed on Anwar was “not too severe”. This coming from a British-trained lawyer, including a University College of London LLM, and well into the second decade of the 21st century. That learned judge, his sterling British law credentials notwithstanding, did not pause to reflect that modern Malaysia still has that archaic statute in her law books, or that it had never before been applied except to Anwar. Even prudish Singapore is repealing this colonial legal relic.

The traditional greeting during Raya is “maaf zahir dan batin”, approximately translated as, “I seek your forgiveness, physically and spiritually.” To forgive, quoting Mahatma Gandhi, is an attribute of the strong.

The first thing Malay children do on Raya morning would be to bow down and kiss their parents’ hands, pleading “maaf zahir dan batin”. In my childhood, my mother, being a school teacher, would go beyond that mere ritual and inquire what specifically I sought forgiveness from her. That would force upon me an uncustomary if not embarrassing moment of self-reflection and introspection, making the exchange that much more meaningful beyond the ritualistic utterance of a well-rehearsed phrase.

I am certain that being traditional Malays, both Anwar and Arifin, too, had uttered that hallowed “maaf zahir dan batin” during their handshake in that mosque, both smiling. Going back to my mother’s tradition, what forgiveness did Anwar seek from Arifin, and vice versa?

For Anwar, could it be that he had criticised the Federal Court judges for “bowing to the dictates of their political masters?” It cannot be, as that negative view was universally held beyond and even within Malaysia’s borders. One should never apologise for uttering the truth. Instead, Anwar should be applauded by all, especially Malaysians, for exposing that ugly reality.

As for judge Arifin, if what he did in upholding Anwar’s jail sentence was the “right thing to do” after weighing all the submissions presented to his court, then he, too, should not apologise. If Arifin did utter that traditional greeting to Anwar, then what is it that Arifin was seeking forgiveness from Anwar? Or was Arifin’s Raya greeting mere ritual uttered with no meaning and even less emotion attached, as with the verdict he had rendered Anwar back in 2015?

Anwar’s magnanimity towards his jailers (and others responsible) reminds me of the much-revered Nelson Mandela when he was released from Robben Island prison. As he related in his memoir “Long Walk To Freedom”, “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead me to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

The day before he was to be released, Mandela made a request to meet all his jailers who had worked in shifts to guard him. As it turned out, because of the huge crowd that had gathered, Mandela did not get his wish to meet his guards in person to bid goodbye or seek their forgiveness. Nonetheless his intention, or as we Muslims call it “niat”, is magnanimity bar none.

Anwar, too, has come to terms with his ordeals. Like Mandela, Anwar had the magnanimity to forgive his main tormentor and the culprit most responsible for Anwar’s incarceration: former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. One consequence is that Anwar today is at peace with himself while Dr Mahathir is still stewing in his self-destructive bitterness.

What a supreme irony if not karma and poetic justice as well that today Anwar Ibrahim is prime minister while Dr Mahathir is being totally rejected by the people. He suffered the rare abject humiliation of not only losing his last election but also forfeiting his deposit! Worse, he along with his children and cronies, all face the possibility of being hauled up to court for corruption. What a prospect, more so when he is in his twilight years! Who says that Allah is not all-knowing and all-just? – April 27, 2023.

* M. Bakri Musa reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.